The present invention pertains to a new and novel centrifugal pump assembly and, more particularly, to a centrifugal pump having a removable impeller assembly for use in conjunction with ink reservoirs employed in printing presses.
Prior art centrifugal pump assemblies employed in conjunction with printing operations have presented serious problems when the cleaning of the ink reservoir and impeller assemblies have been required. In this regard, these prior art pump assemblies incorporated electrical motors which were fixedly secured to the impeller assembly and to the reservoir cover plate. Thus, when the impeller assembly and reservoir cover were to be cleaned, to remove ink accummulations or change the color of ink employed, care had to be taken not to have the cleansing solution contaminate the motor. Since the workmen employed to complete these tasks were not usually careful, many motors were burned out necessitating complete disassembly of the centrifugal pump assembly and replacement of the motor. The frequency of motor replacement was very high and extremely costly from both a material and labor point of view.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new and novel centrifugal pump assembly which is specifically intended for use in conjunction with ink reservoirs of printing presses.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a centrifugal pump assembly of the foregoing type employing releasable engaging means between the motor shaft and impeller shaft of the pump assembly.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a centrifugal pump assembly of the foregoing type having means for enabling the motor of the pump assembly to be quickly and detachably secured to the reservoir cover plate.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a pump assembly of the foregoing type including releasable engageable coupling means between the motor shaft and impeller shaft of the pump assembly.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a centrifugal pump assembly as aforesaid including positive drive and alignment means between the coupling means and the impeller shaft to insure proper alignment of the impeller shaft in the impeller housing and proper rotational movement of the impeller shaft in correspondence with the motor shaft.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a centrifugal pump assembly of the foregoing type including ink flow restraining means preventing the accidental communication of ink from the reservoir to the motor.